Hello my friend,
Welcome to this breathwork practice called Grounded Voice.
In this session,
We'll combine the ujjayi breath,
A gentle,
Steadying breath that soothes the nervous system,
With humming breath,
Which activates the vagus nerve and opens the throat for calm and clear communication.
If you're a people pleaser,
Conflict averse,
Or struggle to communicate your feelings,
It can be difficult to speak up and share your truth without hijacking your nervous system.
This breathwork practice is for when you want to stay grounded,
Regulated,
And confident in your voice,
Especially helpful before a difficult conversation or a moment where you'd like to set and communicate a boundary.
Let's begin by finding a comfortable seat.
Let your spine be tall,
Yet soft.
Close your eyes or soften your gaze.
Begin with a few natural breaths,
Just noticing the rhythm of your inhale and your exhale.
Now,
Gently constrict the back of your throat,
Just enough to create a soft whisper sound as you exhale through your nose,
Kind of like you wanted to fog up a mirror in front of you.
Keep that gentle constriction for a few exhales,
Inhaling normally.
It will sound a little bit like this.
Now try to keep that gentle constriction as you inhale as well.
It'll sound a little bit like this.
This is your yujayi breath.
The sound should be gentle,
Like the ocean or wind through the trees.
Inhale through your nose with that gentle constriction,
And exhale slowly through your nose,
Keeping the throat slightly engaged.
Feel the breath slow down and steady.
Inhale a soft ocean sound.
Exhale a steady,
Calm release.
With each breath,
Feel yourself becoming more grounded.
Let the breath move evenly.
Rhythmically,
Like waves arriving and returning.
If you find that your mind wanders,
That's okay.
Gently come back to the sound and feel of your breath.
Now we're going to shift into the humming portion of this breath work.
The humming breath allows you to open up your voice and center your energy.
So for this,
I want to remind you that it's okay to make sound.
If you're worried about someone overhearing,
It's okay.
If you're feeling self-conscious,
It's okay.
It's all normal,
But it's okay to make sound for this part.
Now let's slowly inhale through the nose.
And as you exhale,
Hum gently.
Mmmmm.
Good.
Inhale.
And exhale to hum.
Mmmmm.
Inhale.
Exhale.
Mmmmm.
Inhale.
This time as you hum,
Feel the vibration in your lips,
Throat,
Or chest.
Allow it to soften any tension.
Mmmmm.
Inhale.
Exhale to hum.
Mmmmm.
Continue this at your own pace.
Let the sound be soothing,
Like a gentle hum to yourself.
Don't worry about hitting the perfect note or having perfect pitch.
That's not the point.
The point is that with each breath,
You're calming the nervous system and creating space for clear and confident expression.
Mmmmm.
Go ahead and let go of the humming practice.
Return your breath to its natural rhythm.
And take a moment to notice how your body feels.
As you move on with your day,
I want to remind you that your breath is always with you.
And that if you're feeling anxious,
Stressed,
Disconnected,
Or like you just can't express yourself during the day,
Come back to these practices,
The ujjayi breath or the humming breath,
As a way to anchor and ground yourself.
Remember,
You are grounded,
You are calm,
And your voice is strong and clear.
When you're ready,
Begin to softly blink the eyes open.
Thank you so much for practicing with me today.
I'll see you next time.
Namaste.
